A suspension assembly for a front end of a vehicle to provide lateral flex for absorption of lateral forces. The suspension assembly comprises a steering shaft including two ends: an end coupled to an upper triple clamp and another end coupled to a lower triple clamp. A spring unit couples one of the two ends of the steering shaft to the associated triple clamp and absorbs forces that are transferred from a road surface up through a front wheel and the pair of forks retained by the upper and lower triple clamps. A pivot mechanism couples the other triple clamp to the other one of the two ends of the steering shaft and creates a pivoting axis. The suspension assembly permits the front end to pivot about the pivoting axis and causes the spring unit to flex laterally in response to bumps in the road surface.
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9. A suspension assembly for a front end of a vehicle arranged to travel in a longitudinal direction, the suspension assembly comprising:
an upper triple clamp adapted to retain at least one front fork;
a lower triple clamp adapted to retain said one front fork and coupled to the upper triple clamp via a steering shaft, the lower triple clamp being substantially parallel to the upper triple clamp;
a spring unit coupling the steering shaft to a first one of the triple clamps, the spring unit being adapted to absorb lateral forces acting on the front end; and
a pivot mechanism coupling the steering shaft to a second one of the triple clamps, the pivot mechanism permitting movement of the second one of the triple clamps about a pivot axis not coaxial to the steering shaft, and wherein upon lateral forces acting on the front end, the lower triple clamp continues to be substantially parallel to the upper triple clamp, the front end shifts about the pivot axis of the pivot mechanism, and the spring unit undergoes flex to absorb lateral forces.
1. A suspension assembly for use with a front end of a vehicle, the suspension assembly comprising:
an upper triple clamp defining a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction;
a lower triple clamp, the upper and lower triple clamps being adapted to retain a pair of forks and hold the pair of forks substantially parallel to each other;
a steering shaft extending substantially perpendicularly between the upper and lower triple clamps; the steering shaft being adapted to be coupled to a frame of the vehicle and including two ends;
a spring unit coupling an upper one of the two ends of the steering shaft to the upper triple clamp, the spring unit being arranged to absorb lateral forces that are transferred from a road surface up through a front wheel and the pair of forks; and
a pivot mechanism coupling a lower one of the two ends of the steering shaft to the lower triple clamp, the pivot mechanism defining a pivot axis oriented longitudinally with respect to the suspension assembly, wherein the front end pivots about the pivot axis and the spring unit flexes laterally of the triple clamps in response to bumps in a road surface on which the vehicle is operated.
2. The suspension assembly of
3. The suspension assembly of
4. The suspension assembly of
5. The suspension assembly of
6. The suspension assembly of
7. The suspension assembly of
8. The suspension assembly of
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/672,040, filed Feb. 6, 2007 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,490,843, and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/765,805, filed Feb. 6, 2006, which is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates generally to a front end suspension for vehicles, and more particularly, to a suspension for absorbing lateral forces on a motorcycle.
The extreme performance characteristics of modern day grand prix/racing motorcycles have led manufacturers to develop very stiff front end packages, designed to bear huge loads primarily during heavy braking. During this condition, the rearward force on the front tire's contact patch presses rearward on the lower portion of the forks at the axle and the inertia of the motorcycle's mass presses forward on the upper portion of the forks at the triple clamps. The resulting flex in the longitudinal direction (direction of travel of the motorcycle) is minimized by increasing the rigidity of the forks.
This increased stiffness of the front forks solves the problem of longitudinal flexing during braking. However, the compromise demanded by a stiffer front end is the appearance of chatter, or vibrations resulting from momentary reductions of traction, particularly during turns. Severe leaning angles typically result from motorcycles negotiating these turns and produce conditions conducive to chatter. When the motorcycle is leaning, the tire's contact patch shifts from the center to side, but the forces from the road are in the vertical direction. Upon hitting little bumps, the vertical force transfers onto the motorcycle mostly laterally. The inability of stiff forks to flex in the lateral direction causes the bumps and imperfections of the road surface to lift up the vehicle, without any elastic restorative forces of the forks being able to maintain pressure of the tire against the road surface.
This problem leads to the vehicle losing contact with the road surface which can result in chatter. Being vibration that resonates from the front tire up to the chassis until dampened, chatter is a nuisance to riders and decreases motorcycle performance. Therefore, it is desirable to maintain longitudinal stiffness in the front end for rigidity under heavy breaking and at the same time, reduce chatter for improved handling of the motorcycle.
The present invention provides an apparatus for reducing chatter on front ends of vehicles. This invention isolates two distinct stiffnesses of the front end: the longitudinal stiffness and the lateral stiffness. The desired rigidity of the longitudinal stiffness under heavy breaking is maintained, while the lateral stiffness is reduced to provide better dampening under severe leaning angles, and consequently improve handling. The foregoing and other features of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of embodiments of the invention which, however, should not be taken to limit the invention to the specific embodiments described, but are for explanation and understanding only.
Referring to
Turning to
The suspension assembly 20 includes the steering shaft 24, an upper triple clamp 26, a lower triple clamp 28, a spring unit 30 and a pivot mechanism 32. The upper triple clamp and the lower triple clamp are adapted to retain a pair of front forks 34, 36 coupled to the front wheel 22 via a front axle 38. Although the front forks are shown throughout this application as non-telescopic forks, the scope of the invention includes front forks having telescopic tubes, built-in rigidity or flex, dampers within, and fork bottoms for coupling to the front axle. One or more of these features may be included in the front forks. Other features of conventional front forks may also be used with the front forks.
The suspension assembly 20 may separate flexional stiffness in the longitudinal direction (direction of travel of the motorcycle) from flexional stiffness in the lateral direction (side-to-side or perpendicular to the longitudinal direction). Flexional stiffness in the longitudinal direction may be referred to as “longitudinal stiffness,” whereas flexional stiffness in the lateral direction may be referred to as “lateral stiffness.” By decoupling the longitudinal stiffness and the lateral stiffness in the front end, chatter may be reduced and handling characteristics may be improved. Detailed mechanics of the suspension assembly is described further below.
For simplicity, when the front end 12 is mentioned below, particularly in describing movement, the front end refers to the entire front end of the motorcycle 10 without the steering shaft 24 (which is stationary with respect to the frame). For further illustration and as non-limiting examples,
Front views of the front end including the suspension assembly are shown in
While the motorcycle is negotiating a corner, the motorcycle is typically leaning into the turn. The more the motorcycle leans, the greater (steeper) the lean angle. The lean angle at which the turn is made may vary depending on the turn radius, motorcycle speed, tire characteristics, rider handling, and the balance of centrifugal and gravitational forces. For example, the faster the speed and the smaller the turn radius, the greater the lean angle on the motorcycle. When the front end is at a steep lean angle, dampers that are designed to absorb forces in the vertical direction are ineffective at absorbing forces which are effectively acting in the lateral direction. As a result, the front wheel loses contact with the ground and the inertia of the vehicle is slow to react. The suspension assembly may help solve this problem by decreasing the lateral stiffness (or allowing additional flexibility) of the front end for better absorption of lateral forces and improved cornering ability.
The suspension assembly absorbs energy through deflection of a spring unit, further discussed below, and separates these forces acting on the front end from the frame to minimize the unsprung weight of the motorcycle. With less inertial weight, the front wheel of the motorcycle can return to the road surface in less time.
In response to the bump in
As the front end hits the bump in the road while traveling at an initial lean angle, the spring unit allows for displacement of the front end. For example, in reaction to the bump, the steering shaft remains substantially inclined to the initial lean angle whereas the rest of the front end has shifted to a different lean angle. During this instance, the front end may have a lean angle greater than the initial lean angle.
Referring to
In contrast to
Referring to
The steering shaft 24 is disposed substantially perpendicular to the upper triple clamp 26 and lower triple clamp 28. Optionally, the steering shaft may couple to the upper triple clamp and the lower triple clamp without the perpendicular relationship. The steering shaft includes an upper end 52 that is adapted to couple to the upper triple clamp and a lower end 54 that is adapted to couple to the lower triple clamp. The steering shaft is held securely to the frame via bearings (not shown). Although the steering shaft is shown to be cylindrical, the steering shaft may also be a rectangular prism or other suitable geometry.
The lower triple clamp 28 may be similar in shape to the upper triple clamp 26, and is oriented substantially parallel to the upper triple clamp. The lower triple clamp may be thicker (greater in height) than the upper triple clamp for the inclusion of bearing pockets and bearings (not shown) (not to be confused with bearings coupling the steering shaft to the frame). The bearing pockets are located on a front side and a back side of the lower triple clamp to house two bearings. The bearings permit the pivot shaft to rotate and support the load that acts on the suspension assembly.
The lower end 54 of the steering shaft 24 rests in the middle of the lower triple clamp 28 between the two retention braces 56. The lower end may be adapted to allow pivotal movement in the lateral direction about a pivot axis A, and/or the lower triple clamp provides a small clearance so that the lower triple clamp can pivot about axis A. This range of pivotal motion is limited by the flexibility or rigidity of the spring unit 30 located at the other end of the steering shaft. It may be little or no movement if the spring unit is very rigid or several degrees if the spring is less rigid or comprised of flexible material.
As mentioned above, when a typical motorcycle enters an orientation during travel where there is little or no dampening, such as when it is leaning over at a great angle, the motorcycle may chatter and decrease front wheel contact to the road surface. The suspension assembly may solve this problem by providing lateral flex to the motorcycle without compromising the rigidity necessary for hard braking. By decoupling the longitudinal and lateral forces, the suspension assembly allows the absorption of lateral forces and restores front wheel contact in less time.
Further, the front end may pivot about pivot axis A and at the same time, rotate about a steering axis B for steering of the motorcycle. In addition, steering stops 58 may be coupled to the lower triple clamp 28 to limit the range of motion in steering about axis B.
Turning to
The suspension assembly 20 further includes a spring unit 30 coupling the upper triple clamp 26 and the steering shaft 24 together, and may serve to absorb forces that may be transferred from the upper triple clamp to the steering shaft and vice versa. The spring unit also inherently gives strength to the suspension assembly, in addition to the strength provided by the bearings, as further discussed below.
The upper end 52 of the steering shaft may include a shoulder 60 to assist in supporting the spring unit and other components for ease of coupling. Other components that may be located in this area include bearings (not shown) and lock nuts for connecting the steering shaft securely to the steering tube and frame.
The suspension assembly 20 further includes a pivot mechanism 62. As shown, the pivot mechanism may be a pivot shaft inserted through two bearings 64 located in bearing pockets 66 located in the lower triple clamp and secured by a pivot nut 68. The pivot shaft rotates with the bearings, which may bear much of the load that acts on the suspension assembly. The bearings help in maintaining longitudinal stiffness. Bolts 70 attach a steering shaft cap 72 to the lower end of the steering shaft, thus surrounding the pivot shaft and holding the pivot shaft so that the steering shaft can pivot with the pivot shaft.
Alternatively, the steering shaft may pivot on a different kind of pivot mechanism. For example, a ball and socket joint pivot mechanism may be used where the steering shaft may include a socket that swivels on a ball. The steering shaft or the lower triple clamp may include stops or geometry to allow only one plane of motion of the steering shaft as it swivels.
One of these design variations is the location of the bearing pockets for the coupling with the bearings and pivot mechanism. Instead of housing the bearings in the lower triple clamp, the bearings may be housed in the lower end 54 of the steering shaft at 74. The scope of the invention includes other adaptations of the steering shaft to allow for configurations that are conducive to effectuate absorption of lateral forces acting on the front end.
Further, the suspension assembly of
Referring to
As shown, where the ribs connect to the annular frame and to the center ring, the junctions 86 are filleted. The radius of the fillets may be varied to change the strength and rigidity of the spring unit.
It may be desirable to have extra strength in the longitudinal direction to withstand braking forces. By orienting the spring unit such that the ribs are aligned longitudinally, this can be achieved. For alignment, the spring unit may include a mechanism which allows for aligning the spring unit to a particular orientation. The mechanism may be placement of multiple holes, a square-shaped bolt hole, or other indicator for alignment. Multiple holes 88 may be adapted for fasteners to insert through and couple the spring unit to the upper triple clamp.
Referring to
As illustrated in
Referring now to
The vacant region may further include ribs that may flex, for example, such as shown in
Turning to
It should be noted that the spring unit does not necessitate an annular frame with center ring formation. The spring unit may have a different geometry, and still function similarly to the spring units as described. The center rings as shown in the spring units above may not need to be centered, concentric, or ring-shaped. For example,
The spring units as described may be alternatively constructed with different shapes or characteristics to enable the suspension assembly to function as desired. It is within the scope of the invention for a spring unit to use a polygonal or elliptical frame instead of an annular frame. Further, the suspension assembly allows for adjustable lateral stiffness by swapping a spring unit with certain characteristics for another one with different characteristics.
Additionally, these spring units may be partially or wholly manufactured out of aluminum, steel, titanium, carbon fiber or other suitable materials that may exhibit elastic properties and have sufficient tensile strength to withstand forces inflicted on the front end. Further, there may be other suitable materials, thicknesses, and variations of the geometry well within the scope of the invention to provide the desired longitudinal and lateral stiffness of the front end.
As shown in
As shown in
As with the previously described embodiments of the suspension system disclosed herein, the steering shaft 160 is disposed substantially perpendicular to the upper triple clamp 152 and to a lower triple clamp 172. The lower triple clamp 172 may be similar in shape to the upper triple clamp 152 and is oriented substantially parallel to the upper triple clamp 152. The lower triple clamp 172 may also include bearing pockets and bearings (not shown) to receive a pivot shaft of a pivot mechanism (not shown) oriented generally longitudinally (of the suspension assembly, and thus of the vehicle) so as to define a pivot axis E.
The pivot shaft, similar to the pivot shaft shown in the pivot mechanism 62 in
Referring to
A mounting portion 180 of the spring unit 158 is located longitudinally opposite the movable end 159 and includes a pair of oppositely laterally directed arms 182 each defining a mounting bolt hole 184.
Extending longitudinally between the movable end 159 and the mounting portion 180 of the spring unit 158 are a pair of resiliently flexible ribs 186, 188. The ribs 186, 188 may have similar widths or thicknesses 190 and depths 192, and the length 194 of each rib 186 and 188 extends longitudinally with respect to the front suspension assembly 150. It will be understood that the compliance or flexibility of the spring unit 158 will be variable by changing the thickness 190, depth 192, or separation distance 196 between the ribs 186 and 188, or by varying the material of which the spring unit 158 is made.
As may be seen in
The aperture 156 in the upper triple clamp 152 is large enough to provide a gap 206 around the movable portion 159 of the spring unit 158, so as to permit movement of the movable portion 159 laterally in either direction as indicated by the arrow 208, as the ribs 186 and 188 are flexed by lateral forces acting on the front forks 34, 36 of the front end and urging the upper and lower triple clamps 152 and 172 to move about the pivot axis E. The width 210 of the gap 206 may be used to control the maximum flexure of the spring ribs 186 and 188 so as to allow a desired amount of lateral flexure of the suspension assembly 150 so as to reduce chatter yet without sacrificing control, as the upper end 168 of the steering shaft 160 is permitted to move in the direction indicated by the arrow 208 through only the distance provided by the width 210 of the gap 206. It will be appreciated that during heavy braking of the front wheel of a motorcycle equipped with a suspension assembly 150 the ribs 186 and 188 of the spring unit 158 will be in tension and thus will tend to be centered by pendulum forces. It will also be appreciated that, as in the suspension assembly 132 shown in
A spring unit 212, shown in
All of the disclosed components of the invention may each embody different features as described that may provide advantages in manufacture and assembly. Some of the features may be mixed and matched on another embodiment of the invention and still be within the scope of the present invention.
While the invention has been described with reference to its use in a motorcycle, the invention is not limited to motorcycles, but can be used in bicycles, dirt bikes, and other vehicles. Further, the invention may be used with an “upside-down” suspension fork, or it may alternatively be used with a traditional telescopic fork or a rigid fork.
Some components have been illustrated as being of monolithic construction, while other components have been illustrated as being separate components coupled together. It is within the scope of the invention to combine these components or separate them due to design and manufacturing considerations. For example, the steering shaft may be constructed in multiple pieces for ease in manufacturing. The lower end of the steering shaft may be separately constructed as a block and coupled to a threaded end of the steering shaft, and still allowing functionality like the steering shaft as pictured. As another example, it is feasible for the spring unit to be integrally constructed or permanently attached to the upper triple clamp or the lower triple clamp. This may offer the benefit of obviating the need for alignment or additional assembly.
The skilled reader will further appreciate that the invention may be practiced in a “single-sided” front end, such as that found on some bicycles which have only a single fork. The term “triple clamp” should not necessarily be interpreted to mean that two forks are required with the steering shaft. For example, one of the two forks may be coaxial to the steering shaft or considered to be the steering shaft and the other fork and the front end may pivot about the lower end of the steering shaft. The presence of one or more springs or dampers coaxial to or coupled to the steering shaft does not necessarily prohibit the additional presence of one or more springs or dampers elsewhere, such as within the forks.
The various features illustrated in the figures may be combined in many ways, and should not be interpreted as though limited to the specific embodiments in which they were explained and shown. Those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that many other variations from the foregoing description and drawings may be made within the scope of the present invention.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
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Feb 01 2008 | MotoCzysz LLC | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / |
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